Ryan Fenech (born 20 April 1986 in

Ħamrun Hamrun (; ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 9,244 as of March 2014. The people The townspeople are traditionally known as ''Tas-Sikkina'' (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who carry a knife') or as '' ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

) is a retired professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

where he played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Playing career

Ħamrun Spartans

Ryan Fenech joined

Ħamrun Spartans Hamrun (; ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 9,244 as of March 2014. The people The townspeople are traditionally known as ''Tas-Sikkina'' (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who carry a knife') or as ' ...

as a trainee, and made his debut for the club during the 2002–03 season, although Ħamrun Spartans found themselves in the relegation group, Fenech helped his side to a seventh-place finish, during the season Ryan made six appearances and scored one goal. Ryan started to establish himself in the first team, but unfortunately Ħamrun Spartans finished the season in 10th, bottom position in the Maltese Premier League for the 2003–04 season. During the season Ryan made ten appearances. Fenech and Ħamrun Spartans heartache was short lived as the club gained an immediate return to the Maltese Premier League, as the club finished as champions in the

Maltese First Division The Maltese Challenge League (referred to as the BOV Challenge League for sponsorship reasons) is the second-highest division in Maltese football, behind the Maltese Premier League. The First Division was the precursor of the present Premier ...

for the 2004–05 season. The 2005–06 season saw Ryan and Ħamrun Spartans return to the Maltese Premier League, and the hope that they could retain their Premier League status, however it was to be another disappointing season for Ryan Fenech, as Ħamrun Spartans finished in 10th position and were again relegated to the First Division, during the season Fenech made 20 appearances and scored two goals. Ryan and Ħamrun Spartans started and finished the 2006–07 season with a replica of what they did during the 2004–05 season, with another championship win, and an immediate return to the Premier League. Fenech was hopeful that he could this time keep Ħamrun Spartans in the Premier League during the 2007–08 season, following a hard season, Ħamrun Spartans defied the odds and finished in sixth position. Ryan's performances were so impressive that he was called up to the

Malta national football team The Malta national football team ( mt, Tim nazzjonali tal-futbol ta' Malta) represents Malta in international football and is controlled by the Malta Football Association, the governing body for football in Malta. The first official game pla ...

, during the season Ryan made 24 appearances and scored two goals. For the 2008–09 season, Fenech and Ħamrun Spartans hoped to improve on their previous season, but the club did anything but, and following an extremely poor season Ħamrun Spartans were yet again relegated to the First Division. with another 10th-place finish, during the season, Ryan made 22 appearances and scored one goal. With the player in high demand, linked with

Marsaxlokk Marsaxlokk () is a small, traditional fishing village in the South Eastern Region of Malta. It has a harbour, and is a tourist attraction known for its views, fishermen and history. As at March 2014, the village had a population of 3,534. The ...

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 was ...

and

Sliema Wanderers Sliema Wanderers Football Club, nicknamed "tax-Xelin" ( of the shilling), is a professional Maltese football club. It is the most successful team in Malta and hails from the seaside town of Sliema. It currently plays in the Maltese Premier Leag ...

, and forcing his way into the Maltese national team, Fenech was seeking a short term move away from Ħamrun Spartans, with the player thinking if he stayed with Ħamrun Spartans and played in the First Division it may harm his international chances.

Sliema Wanderers

During the summer of 2009, Ryan Fenech completed a season long loan deal to move from Ħamrun Spartans to Sliema Wanderers. Fenech made his Premier League debut for Sliema Wanderers on 30 August 2009 in a 1–0 defeat to

Qormi Qormi ( mt, Ħal Qormi ; pronounced in the Qormi dialect), also known by its title Città Pinto, is a city in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta, southwest of Valletta in the centre of the island. It has a population of 16,324 ...

. Ryan scored his first Premier League goal for Sliema Wanderers on 7 February 2010, as he scored after 11 minutes to help Sliema Wanderers to a 3–0 victory over Floriana.

Valletta

Fenech joined Valletta for the 2010–11 season of the Premier League. At his first season with Valletta, Fenech won the Premier League, going unbeaten all season. Fenech played a vital part in Valletta's UEFA Champions League qualifiers, where Valletta reached the second round after beating Tre Fiori 5–1 on aggregate. They then faced

FK Ekranas Panevėžio Ekranas is a Lithuanian football club, from the city of Panevėžys. It won 7 top-tier champion and 5 national cup titles throughout its existence. The club was founded in 1964 and for 44 years competed in the top tier of Lithuani ...

, where they lost 2–4 on aggregate.

Honours

Club

;Ħamrun Spartans *

: 2004–05, 2006–07 ;Valletta *

Maltese Premier League The Maltese Premier League, known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons with Bank of Valletta ( colloquially known as ''Il-Kampjonat Premjer''), is the highest level of professional football in Malta. Managed by the Malta Football Associ ...

: 2010-2011 Malta Premier league 2011-2012 Malta Premier league 2013–14 Maltese Premier League Double

Individual

* Maltese Player of the Year: 2013–14

Personal life

* Ryan is the older brother of

Roderick Fenech. * Married with 2 kids. * Fenech says that his favourite overseas team is Juventus F.C.">Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in ...